The Kentucky High School Athletic Association boys and girls golf tournament finished up its state first-round tournament on Sept. 29, sending Northern Kentucky golfers ahead to the state final rounds on Oct. 5-7 for the boys and Oct. 8-10 for the girls.
Golfers from Regions 5-8, including the Northern Kentuckians from Regions 7 and 8, golfed at the Kenton County courses in the first round, the boys going first on Sept. 28 and the girls the next day.
Which local golfers made the cut in the state first round and will head to Bowling Green for the championship rounds? See the state qualifiers below.
Northern Kentucky boys KHSAA golf state champion qualifiers
Three of the eight teams competing in the first round will head to the championship rounds. Despite making up half the field, none of the Northern Kentucky
boys teams made the cut. Louisville St. Xavier, Christian Academy-Louisville and Central Hardin went 1-2-3 in the tournament, leaving Covington Catholic, Ryle, Highlands and Newport Central Catholic on the outside.
CovCath was the closes to make the cut, finishing in fourth place, just three shots behind Central Hardin. Ryle tied for fifth with DeSales, 13 shots behind Central Hardin, and Highlands and NewCath tied for seventh, 20 shots behind.
The locals were more represented in the individual qualifiers where the the top 15 golfers not on a qualifying team advanced. Of those 15, six were from local programs.
St. Xavier's Luc Kelty led overall, firing a five-under-par 67. Walton-Verona's Adam Gutman was the top local, tying for 10th overall with a 75. Once stroke behind in the tie for 14th came a Covington Catholic pair, Carson White and Joseph Mangine, and St. Henry's Parker Isaacs.
Ryle's Hayden Li scored a 77, tying for 19th overall and the final championship qualifier was Jack Woolwine of Dixie Heights with a 78.
Northern Kentucky girls KHSAA golf state champion qualifiers
Competing as a team for the first time in the KHSAA state first round, the Conner girls kept their historic season moving, qualifying again as a team to the golf state championship finals.
The Cougars combined to finish 94-over par, finishing in third behind Sacred Heart (+24) and Assumption (+64). Conner, playing after finishing as the Region 7 runner-up, bested Region 7 winner Notre Dame by two shots.
Sacred Heart's Keira Yun was the individual medalist, shooting an even-par 72. St. Henry's Reese Anthony carded a 78, finishing tied for fourth. Four other locals qualified individually for the state finals: Ryle's Elizabeth Dickson tied for 11th with an 81, Notre Dame's Maria Penaranda finished 14th with an 82 and Ryle's Lacey Wilson and Pendleton County's Taylor Bruener tied for 17th with an 85.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Which Northern Kentucky golfers qualified for the KHSAA state finals?
